Apparatus for drying hats.



W. F. CHINIQUY & W. O. WINCH.

v APPARATUS FOR DRYING HATS.

. APPLICATION FILED MAY 28, 1914. 1,134,669, r Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

I 4 SHEETSSHEET L W. F. CHINIQUY 6: W. O. WINCH. APPARATUS FOR DRYING HATS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29. 1914.

1,1 34,669, Patented 6, 1915.

4 S HEETS-SHEBT 2.

g n Jazz/477016570 M 4 A mar. W W ZW%- W. F. CHINIQUY & W. .0. WINCH. APPARATUS FOR DRYING HATS. APPLICATION FILED MAY 28, 1914.

1,134,669. Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

4 SHEETSSHEBT 3.

I QW/P/OWKAA W. F. CHINIQUY & W. 0 WINCH.

APPARATUS FOR DRYING HATS. APPLICATION FILED MAY 28, 1914.

1,134,669. Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

4 SHBETSSHEET 4.

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grraemyzf UNTTED STATES PATENT orrToE.

WILLIAM F. C'HINIQUY AND WILLIAM 0. WINCH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

APPARATUS FOR DRYING HATS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

Application filed May 28, 1914. Serial No. 841,462.

'To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, WILLIAM F. CHINI- 'QUY and WILLIABI O. WINCH, citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, 1n the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Drying Hats, of which the following is a specification. Our invention relates to an apparatus for drying hats after they have been dyed or sized, and partially drained of the liquid with which they have been treated.

Heretofore, it has been customary in the manufacture of hat-forms to dry the same after the wetting process has been accomplished by placing them in a heated dryingroom or other suitable closed space. This usually occupied considerable valuable floor space in the factory and was very objectionable because it was necessary to handle the hats a number of 'times causing them to become soiled or lose their shape, and also because it was necessary for the workmen to enter the drying room to place the hats therein or to remove them after being dried. Another objectionable feature was that the receiving racks upon which the hats were placed would soon become soiled or stained from the dye and size and freshly treated hats placed thereon would often become discolored therefrom. Besides the beforementioned objections, it was necessary to employ additional help to rack the hats in a drying room which soon became an item of considerable expense besides the confusion of the orders and lots into which the hats were sorted by the hat-makers or formers.

It is the object of our invention to construct a suitable automatic apparatus whereby a maximum number of treated hats may be fed to a drying chamber kept at a uniform temperature, by a minimum number of workmen and in passing through said chamber thoroughly dried in a short space of time. i

A further object of our invention is to construct the apparatus in a manner so that the various parts thereof that come in contact with the treated hats are readily removable for the purpose of cleansing the same.

Still another object of our invention is to provide suitable novel means whereby each special lot of hats fed on the apparatus may be indicated to the workman removing the dried hats so that he may be able to keep the same separatedand the orders readily filled after the drying process is completed on each lot.

Finally it is an object of our invention to construct a hat drying apparatus that is simple, easy, and inexpensive to operate, will not get out of order, and which will occupy as little floor space as possible.

The above and other ob 'ects we accomplish by the means and in the manner hereinafter fully described and as more particularly pointed out in the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification, wherein Figure 1 is a longitudinal side elevation of our apparatus for drying hats; Fig. 2 is a vertical side elevation, drawn to a slightly enlarged scale, of the mechanism (not shown in Fig. 1) for automatically feeding the hatcarrying rods or racks to the apparatus; Fig. 3 is an enlargeddetail View, drawn in vertical section, of the discharge end of the heat or drying compartment; Fig. 4 is a horizontal section of the drying chamber taken on the plane of line M Fig. 1'; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of the heating pipes in the lower portion of the drying chamber; Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view apparatus; Fig. 7 is a vertical transverse section of the drying chamber taken on the plane line 77 of Fig. 1; Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail view, drawn partly in longitudinal section, of the idle or guide roller, shown at the feeding end of the drying chamber; Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail view of a rod-supporting link of the conveyer.

Generally speaking, our apparatus, for drying hats comprises a sectional heated compartment or chamber hung from the ceiling of the room, a novel conveyer that passes through said chamber, automatic means for feeding hat carrying rods to the conveyer at one end (shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings), devices at the opposite end of the conveyer for receiving the dried hats, and means for catching the hat-carrying rods at the discharge end of the conveyer and cleansing the same. The above general elements maybe employed either singularly in one machine or a plurality of the same may be arranged side by side as suggested in Fig. 4 in order to form a battery thereof all driven from the same main shaft and heated from a union heating element. However, for the purposes of convenience, a single umt of apparatus will be hereinafter described, it

being understood that the elements thereof are capable of duplication for the purpose of enlarging the plant. i

' The drying chamber preferably comprises a longitudinally elongated compartment 10,

' preferably open while the opposite end is provided with a transversely disposed pendent gate 12 that is hinged at its upper edge to the top plate of the adjacent section of the compartment. The bottom of the drying compartment is preferably provided with one or moreropenings 13, for the admission and circulation of air, and said compartment is kept hot by means of steam or other pipes 14 that are disposed in the bottom thereof and which derive their heating fluid from any suitable source.

The means employed for conveying the hats through this heated compartment preferably comprises a link-belt conveyer consisting of two parallel simultaneously operated chains 15 that are supported upon and guided in transit therethrough by means of idle sprockets or rollers 16, 16, j ournaled in spindles projecting laterally from the side walls of said compartment. The return stretch of this conveyer is supported'upon suitable idle rollers 16 having transverse grooves 16 therein and which are mounted on the ends of transverse shafts 16 journaled in suitable bearings formed by pendent extensions 11 of the straps 11. The

forward portion of the conveyer extends.

downwardly from the front section of the compartment in an inclined lane at substantially a forty-five degree 45) angle to the horizontal plane of the compartment where the same passes around drive sprockets 20. Said sprockets are secured upon and carried by a suitable horizontally disposed drive shaft 21 arranged transversely in front of and extending the entire width of the apparatus at level of between three and five feet above the floor and journaled in bearings on the upper endsof standards 22. One end of shaft 21 is extended beyond its bearings and has a drive pulley 23 secured thereto which is driven through the medium of a belt 24 deriving its motion from a suitable power-generating device such as a motor 25. Interp'osed between the ordinary links of these chains are a plurality of hook-shaped carrier links 17 (shown in detail in Fig. 9) that are each provided with a segmental shaped seat or recess 18 from the sides of which forwardly projecting taperedlugs 19 arise. These carrier-links 17 afford a means for supporting and conveying a plurality of removable parallel rods or bar 26, 26, that are picked up by said links from a suitable feeder in front of the conveyer and which are discharged therefrom at the opposite end of the compartment.

The feeder may be of any suitable construction although we prefer to. employ a devided respectively in the top and bottom of. 1

the receptacle, the former for the discharge of the rods and the latter for guiding the e ector. This ejector comprises a vertically disposed reciprocable plunger 33 that is pivotally connected at its lower end by a link 34 to a counterbalanced crank or cam 35 keyed on a horizontally disposed shaft 36 the movement of which latter is synchronized with the movement of the drive-shaft '21. Carried by the upper end of plunger 33 is a cross-beam or bracket 38 that is preferably triangular shaped in transverse section and so arranged that the hypotenuse thereof extends along the edge thereof facing the interior of the receptacle. The length of this cross-beam is sufiicient to accommodate the longest rod 26 and has a plurality of upwardly projecting pawls 39 pivoted thereto at their lower ends and said pawls are'keptin their. raised position by means of elongated narrow rods 40 secured at their upper ends to said pawls and at their lower ends to a suitable pivoted latch 41. Latch 411s a short lever fulcrumed at one end the plunger and is kept in a horizontal pos1t1on by means of a coiled expanslon spring 42.

A suitable detent bar 43, mounted in a horizontal plane on the standards 28 below the receptacle, is adapted to depress the pawl when the plunger has been moved a distance 1 sufficient to raise the cross frame 38 out of the receptacle through the upper slot 31 therein. The movement of the plunger 1s such that when the same is in its lowermost position the cross-beam will be m the horizontal plane of and close the lower $1012 32 and it is adapted in this position to receive and pick up one of the conveyer rods 26.

between its inclined face and the pawls 39. Upon the cross-beam being elevated to the plane of the upper slot 31 the latch is adapted to engage the detent-bar 43 and be depressed thereby swinging the pawls 39 downwardly and permitting the conveyer rod to gravitate therefrom on to the inclined top of the receptacle where it is retained by the lip until picked up by its respective hooked links of the conveyer;

After transit through the heating compartment the conveyer is adapted to enter a segmental hood 44 at the discharge end thereof which hood has its side or end Walls extended a distance beyond the body portion thereof to form suitable guides or wings 45, as shown. The segmental portion of. the hood has its lower edge straightened as shown at 46 in Fig. 3 of the drawings, and the lower edge thereof is connected to an inclined chute 48 leading downwardly to a suitable tank 49 of cleansing fluid or the like. This arrangement is for the purpose of permitting the rods 26 to be discharged from the conveyer after each transit through the drying compartment and they are then washed and thoroughly cleaned before being placed again in the hopper of the feeding device at the other end of the apparatus.

The upper edge of the body of the hood 44 terminates substantially in the same horizontal plane as the plane of movement of the rods 26 through the heat compartment and a suitable inclined chute 50 is secured tangentially to the outer segment of said hood at substantially right angles to the first mentioned chute 48. The lower end of chute 50 curves forwardly and rests conveniently upon the top of a receiving table or bench 51 of any desired construction.

In operation, the hats after being properlytreated are placed in rows upon the rods or racks 26 at the lower end of the inclined portion of the conveyer which raises them and slowly conveys them through the heat compartment. At the opposite end of said compartment, the hats, which have been properly dried by the heat thereof, will auto- .matically leave the conveyer and slide over the outer surface of the hood to be gravitated upon the chute 50 to the bench. At the sametime the rods 26 will continue their movement with the chains 15 until their gravity will no longer permit them to rest in their seats 18 when they will fall into the chutes 46 and 48 from which they will be received by the cleansing tank 49 as before described. For the purpose of keeping the workman at the bench 51 advised of each lot or assortment of hats fed to the drying apparatus by the workman feeding them to the conveyer, we prefer to employ a suitable alarm which consists of a removable plate 52 bent substantially S-shaped or ogee so that it may be removably placed on the link-connecting pins substantially in the manner shown in Fig- 6 of the drawings. Mounted on the upper portion of this plate is a suitable elongated stud 5,3 that is adaptend of the heated compartment said hookwill catch on a transverse rod or cross-bar 56 and hang thereon until it has been removed by the workman thus preventing the plate from falling off the chain into "the cleansing receptacle.

From the above it is obvious to persons skilled in the art that many modifications, or refinements of the elements described herein are possible, and we, therefore, desire it understood that all such changes or substitutions are included Within the scope of our invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention what We claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an apparatus for drying hats, an endless conveyer consisting of parallel belts, rod-engaging means disposed in spaced relation upon said belts and transversely disposed hat carrying rods removably mounted on said means that are discharged from said means at one end of said conveyer into a cleaning receptacle and are fed to said means at the opposite end of said conveyer.

2. An apparatus for drying hats, comprising a heated compartment constructed of sectional fines, and an endless conveyer extending through said compartment, upon which the hats are placed at one end of said sit through said compartment, a chute at the discharge end of said conveyer adapted to receive the hats therefrom, and a separate chute upon which said hat carrying means are discharged.

' 3. An apparatus for drying hats, comprising a heated compartment constructed of sectional fines, and an endless conveyer extending through said compartment, upon which the hats aresplaced at one end of said compartment and from which said hats are discharged at the opposite end thereof, said conveyer provided with hat carrying means that are released therefrom after each transit through said compartment, and a device for feeding said hat carrying means to the opposite end of said conveyer.

4. An apparatus for drying hats, comprising a heated compartment constructdof sectional flues, and an endless conveyer extending through saidcompartment, upon which the hats are laced at one end of said compartment and from which said hats are discharged at the opposite end thereof, said conveyer provided with hat carrying means spaced at suitable intervals upon said conveyer that are released therefrom after each transit through said compartment, a chute at the discharge end of said conveyer adapted to receive the said hat carrying means,

discharged at the opposite end thereof, said conveyer provided with hat carrying means that are released therefrom after each transit through said compartment, a chute at the discharge end of said conveyer adapted to receive the hats therefrom, a separate chute upon which said hat carrying means are discharged, and a device for feeding said hat carrying means to the end of said conveyer opposite said chute.

6. An apparatus for drying hats, comprising a heated compartment constructed of sectional fiues, and an endless conveyer extending through said compartment, upon which the hats are placed at one end of said compartment and from which said hats are discharged at the opposite end thereof, a

hood at the discharge end of said compartment into. which said conveyer passes, and a chute connected with said hood upon which the discharged hats are received.

7. -An apparatus for drying hats, comprising a heated compartment constructed of sectional fiues, and an endless conveyer extending through said compartment, upon which the hats are placed at one end of said compartment and from which said hats are discharged at the opposite end thereof,

compartment and from which said ,hats are discharged at the opposite end thereof, said conveyer provided with hat carrying means that are released therefrom after each transit throuflh said compartment, a hood at the discharge end of said compartment into whichsaid conveyer passes, two chutesconnected with said hood one ofwhich receives the hats and the other of which receives the discharged hat carrying means, and adevice for feeding said hat carrying means to the end of said conveyer opposite said chutes.

9. An apparatus for drying hats comprising a heated compartment, endless parallel belts extending therethrough, and transverse rods supported at opposite ends upon said belts and adapted to be automatically discharged after transit through said compartment, and chutes at the discharge end of said conveyer upon which the hats and said rods are respectively received.

10. An apparatus for drying hats comprising a heated compartment, endless parallel belts extending therethrough, and transverse rods supported at opposite ends upon said belts and adapted to be automatically discharged after transit through said compartment, and two chutes at the discharge end of said conveyer upon one of which the hats are received and upon the other of which the discharged hat carrying means are received.

11. An apparatus for drying hats comprising a heated compartment, endless parallel belts extending therethrough, and

transverse rods supported at opposite ends upon said belts and adapted to be automatically discharged after transit through said compartment, and two chutes at the discharge end of said conveyer upon one of which.the hats are received and upon the other of which the discharged hat carrying means are received, and a device for feeding said hat carrying means to said conveyer at the opposite end thereof.

12. An apparatus for drying hats comprising an elongated heatedcompartment, a conveyer extending longitudinally therethrough, a portion of which conveyer at the front of said compartment arranged in a plane that is inclined to the plane of the portion thereof passing through said compartment, means mounted on said conveyer for carrying hats up said inclined portion and throu hlthe heated compartment, and chutes at't e opposite end of said conveyer upon which the hat carrying means and the hats are respectively discharged.

An apparatus for drying hats coinprlsmgan elongated heated compartment, a conveyer extendin longitudinally therethrough, a portion 0 which conveyer at the front of said compartment arranged in a .plane that is inclined to the plane of the portion thereof passing through said compartment, means mounted on said conveyer for carrying hats up said inclined portion and through the heated compartment, and two chutes at the opposite end of said conveyer upon one of which the hats are discharged and upon the other of which said hat carrying means are discharged.

An apparatus for drying hats comprising an elongated heated compartment, a

ing means are discharged, and a device for feeding said but carrying means to the inclined portion of said conveyer.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signa- 15 tures in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM F. CHINIQUY. WILLIAM O. WINCH.

Witnesses: KATHRYN A. GRIFFIN, ANNA L. LARSON.

Copies oi thin patent may be obtained (or iive cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0." 

